Echinacea plant named ‘Secret Glow’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct  Echinacea  plant named ‘Secret Glow’ characterized by enlarged disc florets forming an anemone-type inflorescence, yellow orange ray florets and light orange disc florets, a medium sized, mounding habit with excellent stem count and good branching, and excellent vigor

Botanical denomination: Echinacea spp.

Variety designation: ‘Secret Glow’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofEchinacea and given the cultivar name ‘Secret Glow’. Echinacea is in thefamily Asteraceae. This new cultivar is part of a planned breedingprogram to create a compact double flowering series. The exact parentsof this selection are unknown, unnamed, proprietary interspecifichybrids of Echinacea paradoxa×Echinacea purpurea. This cultivar wasselected for its excellent flower number, color, and habit.

Compared to Echinacea ‘Marmalade’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 22,602), the newcultivar has inflorescences that are yellow orange changing to yellowrather than orange maturing to tan. The new cultivar has a shorterhabit, better branching, more inflorescences per stem, and theinflorescences are smaller with shorter and tighter disc florets.

Compared to Echinacea ‘Secret Joy’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No 23,627), the newcultivar has deep yellow orange flowers rather than light yellow.

Compared to Echinacea ‘Pineapple Sundae’, the new cultivar has floretsthat are deep yellow orange rather than yellow.

This new Echinacea cultivar is distinguished by:

-   -   1. enlarged disc florets forming an anemone-type inflorescence,    -   2. yellow orange ray florets and light orange disc florets,    -   3. a medium sized, mounding habit with excellent stem count and        branching, and    -   4. excellent vigor.

This new cultivar has been reproduced only by asexual propagation(division and tissue culture). Each of the progeny exhibits identicalcharacteristics to the original plant. Asexual propagation by divisionand tissue culture using standard micropropagation techniques withterminal and lateral shoots, as done in Canby, Oreg., shows that theforegoing characteristics and distinctions come true to form and areestablished and transmitted through succeeding propagations. The presentinvention has not been evaluated under all possible environmentalconditions. The phenotype may vary with variations in environmentwithout a change in the genotype of the plant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 shows the inflorescences of Echinacea ‘Secret Glow’ on aone-year-old plant growing in the field in full sun in early Septemberin Canby, Oreg.

DETAILED PLANT DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed description of the new Echinacea cultivarbased on observations of 10-month-old specimens growing in the trial bedin full sun in Canby, Oreg. Canby is in Zone 8 on the USDA Hardinessmap. Temperatures range from a high of 95 degrees F. in August to anaverage of 32 degrees F. in January. Normal rainfall in Canby is 42.8inches per year in the trial fields in Canby, Oreg. The colordescriptions are all based on The Royal Horticultural Society ColourChart, 5^(th) edition.

-   Plant:    -   -   Type.—Herbaceous perennial.        -   Hardiness.—USDA Zones 4 to 9.        -   Size.—Grows to about 60 cm wide and 63 cm tall to top of            inflorescences.        -   Form.—Basal clump, with 7 to 20 stems from the base.        -   Vigor.—Excellent.        -   Roots.—Fibrous, with many downward growing and few laterals,            ivory in color, Yellow White 158D, roots develop easily from            cuttings from the crown.-   Stem (flowering):    -   -   Type.—Ascending, with 1 to 3 inflorescences per stem.        -   Size.—To 56 cm tall to a terminal inflorescence and 4 mm            wide at base.        -   Internode length.—2.5 cm to 9.5 cm.        -   Surface texture.—Strigose.        -   Color.—Yellow Green 146C.-   Leaf (basal):    -   -   Type.—Simple.        -   Shape.—Lanceolate.        -   Arrangement.—Basal.        -   Blade size.—Grows to 12 cm long and 4 cm wide.        -   Margins.—Entire.        -   Apex.—Acute.        -   Base.—Attenuate.        -   Surface texture.—Strigose on both sides.        -   Venation.—Pinnate, with 3 main veins.        -   Color.—Topside Green N137A bottom side closest to Yellow            Green 147B.        -   Petiole description.—Grows to 9 cm long and 3 mm wide,            strigose, Yellow Green 146B.-   Leaf (stem):    -   -   Type.—Simple.        -   Shape.—Lanceolate.        -   Arrangement.—Alternate.        -   Blade size.—Grows to 16 cm long and 5 cm wide.        -   Margins.—Entire.        -   Apex.—Acuminate.        -   Base.—Attenuate.        -   Surface texture.—Strigose on both sides.        -   Venation.—Pinnate, with 3 main veins from the base.        -   Color.—Topside Yellow Green N137A, bottom side closest to            Yellow Green 147B.        -   Petiole description.—On all but upper leaves, clasping,            grows to 12 cm long and 3 mm wide above the clasp, sparsely            strigose, Yellow Green 146B.-   Inflorescence:    -   -   Type.—Composite on terminal stalked heads.        -   Number of flowering stems from the ground.—7 to 20.        -   Flowering stem.—Grows to 58 cm tall from the base of the            plant to the terminal inflorescence and can grow to 12 cm to            17 cm long from the top stem leaf to the base of an            inflorescence; branched with 1 to 3 inflorescences per stem;            diameter growing to 7 mm wide near the inflorescence;            strigose; Yellow Green 146C.        -   Size.—Grows to 8 cm wide and 7.5 cm deep as disc enlarges.        -   Form.—Ray florets held slightly reflexed, mature disc is            conic.        -   Immature inflorescence.—Grows to 2.5 cm wide and 1.7 cm            deep, ray florets held at a 70 degree angle from the            vertical and rolled up so only the back color shows, Yellow            Orange 20C, disc color Yellow Green 144A.        -   Ray florets.—Without pistil or stamen, about 15 in number,            grow to 45 mm long and 8 mm wide, oblanceolate with the tip            three-toothed (each acute), entire margins, base attenuate,            glabrous on both sides; topside Yellow Orange 23A, when old            Yellow 13A, bottom side Yellow Orange 16D.        -   Disc.—Flat becoming conic, growing to 40 mm deep and 65 mm            wide with maturity, Orange 24A.        -   Disc florets.—About 370 in number, each with 1 pistil and 4            stamen, grow to 25 mm long and 7 mm wide, each with one            persistent, very stiff linear bract (14 mm long with the top            4 mm colored Yellow Orange 23A on tip then Yellow Green 144A            in middle, then Yellow Green 145D on bottom ⅓); corollas 23            mm long and 7 mm wide, tubular at base (145C) then 3 main            lobes, the center lobe grows to 17 mm long and 4 mm wide and            has 3 terminal lobes, the two side lobes linear 15 mm long            and 1.5 mm wide, all lobes glabrous, margins entire, tips            acuminate, topside Orange 24A, bottom side Yellow Orange            16D; pistil 10 mm long, ovary 4 mm long, White 155A, style 6            mm long Yellow Green 145D, 2-branched stigma spreading, Grey            Brown 199B; stamen 4 mm long, filaments 4 mm long,            threadlike, Yellow Green 145D, anthers reduced, pollen none.        -   Phyllaries.—In 4 leafy series, area grows to 31 mm wide and            8 mm deep, lobes lanceolate in shape, reflexed, grow to 10            mm long and 3 mm wide, Green 137A, margins strigose, tip            acute, strigose on both sides.        -   Receptacle.—Grows to 10 mm wide and 20 mm deep, White            NN155B.        -   Bloom period.—July through October in Canby, Oreg.        -   Fragrance.—Light, floral.        -   Lastingness.—Each inflorescence lasts about two weeks in            Canby, Oreg.        -   Seeds.—Not seen.        -   Fertility.—Poor.-   Disease and pests: No pests or diseases have been observed on plants    grown under commercial conditions in Canby, Oreg. No resistances are    known.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct Echinacea plant as herein illustrated anddescribed.